A Cool Reception After First Practice

Michigan practiced Friday morning in the Coliseum and, for the most part, players and coaches had nice things to say about their home for the week leading up to the Rose Bowl.

Stadium workers had put the tarp on the field against rains that fell the last few days.

“It was a little wet at one end,” Coach Lloyd Carr said. “Other than that it was much better than I could have expected.”

Defensive lineman Grant Bowman took a moment to soak up the atmosphere.

“That stadium has got a lot of history with the Olympics,” he said. “And obviously all the football that has been played there.”

There was a complaint: The locker-room showers ran out of hot water after practice. Some players braved the cold but others abstained.

“Unbelievable,” Bowman said. “We’re going to be a smelly team till they get that fixed.”

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It didn’t take hours of watching film for Bowman to recognize that USC’s offensive line has played well this season.

Statistics show the Trojans averaged 451 yards in total offense while giving up a total of only 14 sacks, best in the Pacific 10 Conference.

“You can tell from the numbers that they’ve been successful,” he said.

Upon closer inspection, Bowman was impressed with All-American tackle Jacob Rogers and center Norm Katnik. However, he said USC plays differently along the line than other teams Michigan has faced this season.

The Trojans use their quickness to position block, he said. Apparently, that’s not the way they play in the Midwest.

“A lot of Big Ten teams will try to knock you off your feet,” he said.

USC receiver Mike Williams, who has a close-up view of his offensive line, did not necessarily agree.

“This is like last year with Iowa,” he said. “We heard that Iowa was a big, physical team. Whether we’re known as a finesse team or not, reputations don’t win games.”

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Anyone who thinks of football players as animals would not be dissuaded of that notion by a Michigan practice. Just listen for the barnyard sounds whenever a drill ends and the offensive linemen head for another part of the field.

“We don’t run very fast,” lineman Tony Pape said. “We trot.”

Which starts the defensive linemen mooing like cows.

“We like to make fun of each other,” Bowman said. “They’re so fat it’s easy to do.”

Do the offensive linemen have a comeback?

“We’re too tired to talk,” Pape said.